The heavyweight rematch between Badou Jack and Richard Riverasaw saw flies interrupt the two boxers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Commentating on the game, Adam Smith made the revelation. 

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“Flies are affecting boxers in the ring,” the broadcaster said during the clash between Badou Jack and Richard Rivera. Boxers struggled with insects disturbing them mid-bout. 

Jack, former 168-pound titleholder, defeated Richard Rivera by a split decision on the Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua II card. Two judges scored it for Jack, 96-94 and 96-94. One had Rivera winning by the same score.

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Rivera (21-1, 16 KOs) gave Jack (27-3-3, 16 KOs) a tough time. The two fought almost four minutes overtime as a result of the time keeper’s error. Jack did well in that extra minute. 

Meanwhile, British-based Somali boxer Ramla Ali scripted history when the first women’s fight took place in Saudi Arabia. She took only one minute and five seconds to secure a knockout won vs Dominican Republic’s Crystal García Nova in the super-bantamweight clash. 

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After an aggressive start, Ali put Nova on the backfoot. The Somali then unleashed a twisting right-hand shot to the side for the knockdown. 

“I feel really good but I feel I need to go back and do some more pads … I didn’t really get out of first gear,” said Ali, having extended her professional record to seven successive wins.

Usyk, who has served with the Ukrainian army, was named 4/7 favourite by British bookmaker William Hill. Joshua was down as a 13/8 underdog.

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“His incentive to take this fight was not his thirst for success or willingness to become the greatest; he took it for his country and for his people, because Ukraine needs victory,” his promoter Alexander Krassyuk told the BBC.

Joshua lost to Usyk at home, in London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, last September.